Air Beds, Futons, & Folding Beds

Stowable bed for out of town visitors

July 2005

We are currently in the process of phasing out a futon that is leftover from the bachelor days. But that is where guests stay when they come visit, we don't have room for an extra bed, and need an alternative. Can anyone recommend a portable bed that is comfortable and stows away easily? It has to accommodate our moms when they come to visit, so an air mattress on the floor just won't do. Sleepless in Oakland

We bought an aerobed several years ago and it is great. They even have new out that are extra high for those who can go so low. We have had several people stay on it and they said it was very comfortable. So much better than the sleeper sofas. kelly

Aerobed (www.thinkaero.com) makes a raised inflatable bed that is incredibly comfortable and very pricy. It's as high as a regular bed (24'') and inflates in under a minute with a built in pump. It actually comes with custom dust ruffle and mattress pad (the latter fits over the pump). I was given a brand new twin one (retails for around $160) last winter by a shopaholic friend who'd ordered it from QVC a few years back and then never opened the box.

Then I got a furnitureless tenant in my rental unit and offered him the use of this bed. He slept on it for two months and said it was the best bed he'd ever used (I recently replaced it with a regular fullsize bed). My kid and I tried it out last night--it was very comfortable as a mattress in addition to being normal bed height. Before setting it up, I was horrified at the price my friend paid but have since become so impressed that I've reconsidered and now think they're a good value since they provide an excellent comfortable portable bed while taking up very little space when stored.

The twin size raised aerobed stores in a substantial bag weighing over 20 lbs total. The specs say it supports a weight of 650 lbs. aerobed convert